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Agape Organic Restaurant, Botany

On a crisp Friday evening, we arrive at Agape Organic Restaurant in Botany for our 7pm booking. It’s such a pleasant surprise to find a restaurant like Agape in a suburban nowhereland. I’ve been wanting to come here for a year now (ever since I started working at Brasserie Bread, which is just down the road in Banksmeadow). So when we planned a girly dinner date, I was incredibly excited to finally try the organic fare I’d heard so much about on Twitter and food blogs.

Grilled haloumi, vine leaves, beetroot, olive salad ($13.50)

The Grilled haloumi salad is a refreshing way of starting the meal. There’s parsley aplenty but not in an overpowering way. Must be something to do with the fact that it’s organic – it doesn’t have that overwhelming parsley flavour that I’m used to. The vine leaves also add an interesting dimension to the palate of the dish. And the mini beetroot cubes are nice and sweet.

Spelt crumbed camembert ($19)

Next up is the spelt crumbed camembert, which is accompanied by spiced pumpkin, apple, pear, popped quinoa, amaranth and salsa verde. The Camembert is of course gooey and yummy. But I also love the pumpkin puree and the sweetness of the apple.

Kingfish ceviche ($20)

Nadia’s favourite dish of the night is the kingfish ceviche, served with tequila, avocado, lime, chilli, chive, royal quinoa and handmade spelt crispbread. It’s tangy, refreshing and exciting. The herbs are the star of the dish. We also realise that there’s a bit of a spelt fest happening on the menu. Every other dish has spelt in it in some shape or form!

Roast mushroom pizza ($26)

The roast mushroom spelt pizza pairs thyme with truffle. It’s delicious and cheesy. Though the spelt base is a little bit on the dry side (because spelt flour is generally drier anyway) but also adds an interesting flavour. It’s a white pizza, so doesn’t have the regular tomato base. I’m normally more into tomatoey pizzas, but this is still a standout dish.

Paella $38

The paella is brimming with seafood aplenty. Chock-a-block with spencer gulf prawns, king salmon, chorizo, kingfish, scallops and mussels, this dish makes a good impression, but Nadia laments that it’s not THAT special.

Slow braised Gundooee wagyu beef ($34)

The slow braised Gundooee wagyu beef with honey roasted purple carrots, royal black quinoa and truffle butter is Y-U-M. The idea here is to cut open the wagyu beef and let the truffle butter melt over it. The beef is utterly delicious. And of course you can’t go wrong with truffle butter! Or truffle mash for that matter.

Hand-cut chips with homemade tomato sauce ($10)

These hand-cut chips are soft inside with a lightly crispy exterior – exactly how I like it! They’re super-moreish, and the accompanying tomato sauce is homemade. It’s almost reminiscent of a pasta sauce or a salsa, because its texture is a bit coarse.

Upside down apple cake

So I’ll be honest. When we finish our mains, we’re actually certain that we want to go for a Gelato Messina and Wowcow run for dessert. But Lyn comes over to our table and tells us that Simon is sending out some desserts for us. And boy, am I glad we stayed for dessert. They’re absolutely stunning. The upside down apple & spelt cake is doused in butterscotch and accompanied by an amazing cinnamon ice cream that I can’t get enough of.

Creme brulee

Also sent out to our table is the honey, cinnamon and vanilla creme brulee with almond biscotti. The cinnamon flavour in the brulee is wonderful, and the texture is divinely creamy. I couldn’t decide whether this was my favourite dessert – the spelt chocolate brownie is equally delicious.

Spelt chocolate brownie

This photo does not do the brownie justice. Because it’s seriously amazing. It’s ridiculously chocolatey and very dense. Vanilla ice cream is of course the perfect accompaniment for a warm, oozing brownie. Nadia declares it’s her favourite of the desserts.